Turkish presidential election heading into runoff: Reports
2 Min Read
The presidential election in Turkey has lost steam as it heads into a runoff after neither candidate crossed the threshold.
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Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan watch the news on a giant screen outside AKP (Justice and Development Party) headquarters in Istanbul, Turkey, May 14, 2023 (AP)
The Turkish presidential race headed into a runoff on Sunday as both Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his main challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu seemed unlikely to secure over 50% of the vote, a state TV tally said late on Sunday.
Erdogan is leading Kilicdaroglu with 49.52% of the vote, with 95.09% of the ballots counted, while the opposition leader lagged behind with 44.76% of the vote. The second round is set for May 28.
The results of the counted ballots so far show Erdogan at the forefront of the presidential race, mainly against Kilicdaroglu, but with a percentage of votes insufficient to announce him president from the first round.
#Erdogan seems to be in the lead in the presidential race so far now that 94.24% of the votes have been counted.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 14, 2023
The final results will be published later this evening once all the ballots are counted.#TurkeyElection2023 #TurkishElections pic.twitter.com/risnXMjYs5
According to the TRT network, the preliminary turnout in Turkey's presidential and legislative elections on Sunday exceeded 88% at home and 45% overseas.
A total of 191,885 ballot boxes have been installed around the country, it added.
Every Turkish voter cast two ballots, one for the president and the other for parliamentarians, for a five-year term.
Over 30 Turkish political parties and over 150 independent parliamentary candidates competed in the race.
The People's Alliance, Nation Alliance, Ancestral Alliance, Labor, and Freedom Alliance, and Union of Socialist Forces Alliance were the five multiparty blocs in the running.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
